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Thursday, February 10, 2011

PANDESAL (Filipino Breakfast Bread Rolls)

Pandesal (Filipino Breakfast Bread Rolls) are a must on every Filipino table during breakfast in the Philippines. This tasty and slightly sweet bread rolls are usually bought early in the morning in every neighbourhood local bakery. Steaming hot with crusty exterior and that recognizable crumbs, they are packaged in traditional rectangular brown paper bag.

Some prefer to dunk Pandesal in their morning coffee and eat it that way. Others fill their Pandesal with Reno Liver Spread, Mayonnaise, Scrambled Eggs, Fried Spam or Hotdog, Ham, Peanut Butter, Coconut jam or just plain good old butter…sky’s the limit on what filling you want!

Here in Brissy, Australia….Pandesal is a bit expensive to have, they are sold around AUD$4.50 per dozen and Mr. H even bought a packet for AUD$7-8.00 on one of the Filipino gatherings in Southbank. It is a luxury thing to have, as a packet of slice bread only cost AUD$2-3.00…so of course the TRIBE only buy Pandesal whenever we have that craving we cannot handle…hehehehehe!

But since I had BBlicious (mixer), I’ve put her hard at work whipping batches of Pandesal here in my kitchen. We haven’t bought bread for almost a month now and I think it will be a long time before the TRIBE gets sick of Pandesal.

~ Place your fresh milk, evaporated milk and water in a microwavable container and heat it up for 45 seconds first, before pouring it to your Pandesal mix. Once the Pandesal mix becomes overall wet, increase the Speed to 2 and knead for 15 minutes in the mixer.

~ Prepare a stainless steel large mixing bowl and wipe the inside with an oiled kitchen paper towel.

~ Once the kneading is done, turn off the mixer and remove the dough hook and bowl out of the mixer stand. Lightly oil you hands and remove the dough. Tuck in the edges of the dough underneath to create a smooth top surface before placing it inside your oiled mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap.

~ If the weather is hot, just leave the bowl on your kitchen bench but if it’s cold…. pour some hot boiling water in a container and place it inside your oven (turned off) on the bottom level. Position your covered Pandesal dough on a rack above the hot water container, close the door oven and leave it there for 1 hour (same amount of time if it’s on the kitchen bench), until it double in size.

~ Place 2 handfuls of flour on one of the corners of your cleaned kitchen bench. Lightly flour your kneading area with a bit of your flour. Take out the risen Pandesal dough out of the mixing bowl and knead/punch down the air out of it. If it gets too sticky, lightly flour your hands and pat the overall exterior of the dough. Roll the dough till it becomes elongated. Using a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop some of the dough and level it up with your inner palm and with a sweeping motion (using your palm) cut the dough on the edges of the measuring cup.

~ Cup each Pandesal dough portions with your right hand and roll it into a ball in an anti clockwise motion, if it gets too sticky, dust your hands with some flour. Dip each rolled Pandesal dough into the bread crumbs. Before placing it in your baking tray, make the dough slightly oval shaped. Distance each dough portions about 2-2.5cm away from each other. Cover the baking tray with cling wrap loosely.

~ Let it rise for another hour (hot weather – leave it on the kitchen bench, cold weather – inside the oven with hot water underneath), it will double its size again.

~ Preheat your oven 200C and bake your tray of Pandesal on the top second rack for 10-15 minutes.

~ Once cooked slide the Pandesal rolls into a wire cooling rack immediately.

MAKES: 15-16 Pandesal Rolls

NOTES:

You don’t need the baking paper sheet as shown in the pictures, I’m just crazy!

I find that when I used a lighter baking tray the bottoms of the Pandesal rolls are lighter than the ones baked in the darker baking trays.

Check your oven temperature, my first batches of Pandesals have bottoms that was a bit overdone while the top still haven’t achieved that nice crusty golden colour. I’ve tried everything, placing another tray on the lower rack….doubling my baking tray, the solution? Surprise, surprise! Lower your oven temperature=) Ovens are not all the same, some are more psychotic than others.

If 1/3 cup (makes 15-16 pieces.) is a bit large to your liking, use a 1/4 cup (makes 20-21 pieces).

I tried portioning the dough like the Professional Panaderos (Bakers) in the Philippines by cutting it with a dough cutter, but the Pandesal rolls sizes were not uniformed, so I gave up!

You can freeze Pandesal Rolls once they’re completely cooled down. I seal them up in rows inside freezer bags and freeze them that way. I take a packet out of the freeze and defrost them inside the fridge overnight, ready to be reheated the following morning for breakfast.

@Annie~ I like this Pandesal recipe as the texture was still fluffy till the next day on room temperature and if reheated in the microwave for 10-20secs from the fridge (defrosted if frozen)it comes out to its original fluffy soft texture=)

@Sefi~ Pandesal evil temptation is all around us...keeps on whispering "Make me!" hahahahaha!

@Anonymous~ Thankyou very much for noticing about the sugar...LOL! Even though I've read this post more then 10x+ still missed that missing ingredient, already fixed it....1/2 cup sugar, I'm getting old=)

If you want to give it another go of the way the Pinoy bakers do their pan de sal, try this method: divide your dough into thirds or quarters. Take each piece and flatten it with a rolling pan or jus tthe palm of your hand into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick maybe and 6 to 8 inches wide. Now fold the top to meet at the center, flatten ti with the palm of your hand and the bottom to meet at the center and flatten it again. Then pinch the top edge to meet the bottom edge so it looks like a baston as thick as your wrist. or maybe thinner depending on how small or large you want your pan de sal to be. If it is too fat, then stretch your baston a bit to make it longer. Then cut with dough cutter...best one for this is a wooden one.

Thank you so much for the recipe. Your pictures helped a lot. I've done this a few times. Each time taste really good. Now some friends ask me if I want to sell them. Pan de coco naman po:-) please :-)

Our friends and relatives also enquire how much to buy also but I just tell them to learn kasi ndee profitable for me to sell them=) But if worth sa iyo to sell, why not=) Will include Pan de coco in my "to do list". Thanks so much for the feedback=)

Hello - I tried these yesterday and they came out AMAZINGLY! My mother is Filipina (father is arab) so I grew up eating these, but store bought never home made and they tasted exactly how the bakeries make them. My Italian fiance devoured 3 for dessert and took more to work today :) I followed the recipe exactly. My AC was on so to let dough rise I stuck it in the oven at the lowest temp(170deg) and left the oven door open. Now a day later, and the pan de sal are still soft and chewy. Only change I made was I made half pan de coco (coconut filling) for a little variety. And I mixed a little bit of sugar with the breadcrumbs before sprinkling for a bit of sweetness.Thank you for the posting & I'll be trying your empanadas today!

@Laila~ Good on you! Glad your pandesal turned out good too=) It makes it all worth while for the time I spend tinkering my post/recipes to make it easier to follow. Good luck on the empanadas...any questions, just msg me=)

@Anonymous~ Bread flour is a higher gluten flour compare to all purpose flour (plain flour). They say if you use BF it is more chewy (like dinner rolls) then PF which is more soft (like slice bread). With this recipe you can use either naman, just make sure you knead it enough and let it rise properly para magwork iyong yeast=) So far in my opinion this recipe never dissappoints me kasi it always produce soft pandesal even when defrosted from the freezer.

Hi is it possible to perform this recipe without the electric bread mixer? I've had problems with other recipes where my pandesal is very soft when it comes out of the oven and then within half a day, hard and stale. How can I prevent it from going hard? Thank you :)

@Anonymous~ Yes you can...you have to knead the dough with your hands till it have that elastic feel to it, then proof (rest) as recommended. When you take it out for the second kneading, you'll notice this threading texture, that is a good sign. Properly kneading your dough gives that softness, not enough gives you hard pandesal. As I said, this recipe never fails me to have soft pandesal even when reheated from the freezer =)

@Anonymous (K)~ first of all, have you tried this recipe yet as this one produce soft chewy pandesals even when you freeze and reheat it? The purpose of rising agent (eg. yeast or baking powder)is for the bread to rise and become fluffy without it, it will become flat...if you want to learn how to make those commercial pandesal that are light as air you have to find a commercial panadero to teach you as they add preservatives that makes the bread stay fresher and softer for longer.

Hello. We have been looking for a good Pandesal recipe that won't turn hockey puck hard the next day and could take the egg substitute well as my son is allergic to egg whites but we wanted him to enjoy a lot of the Filipino food my husband and I ate as kids. We hit the jackpot with your recipe on the very first try!! Great color and it was still nice and soft the next day. Even my Irish friend loved it!! Thank you so much for sharing this. Truly appreciate it. We'll surely be making pandesal often in our house from now on. Our next mission is to find a good Ensaymada recipe. :-)

@M.J~ Thanks for your wonderful msg, glad your family love the recipe. I got the recipe from Sefie from Sefie Eats and she's the star for posting this pandesal recipe in her blog to share, and me just reposting the recipe and explaining it in my own words how I made it step by step...very happy it was a success too in your household =)

I was looking for a pan de sal recipe and I came across your site. It was my first time to make pan de sal using your recipe. They turned out really good! Pan de sal is really hard to find here in Korea (or maybe nobody makes them here). Now I can make pan de sal anytime I want to satisfy my craving.

First, I would like to say thank so very much for posting and sharing this recipe. I have been looking for Pandesal recipe that tasted exactly or as close as what I grew up with. When I came across to your website/recipe I was very skeptical. I have tried, probably, almost all the Pandesal recipes out there and wound up throwing the end products in the garbage. It is either too hard and too dry or just plain doesn't taste right. When I tried your recipe, my garbage was ready. However, your recipe is by far the best tasting Pandesal I have ever tried in a very long time. It took me back when I was a child eating breakfast and dipping it in a hot cocoa. Thank you so much for your recipe.

Would these be suitable for breakfast? What would you suggest to change them up? I run a B&B and would like to put these out for my guests on Christmas Morning.I also prepare Communion for my church and with October being 'World Communion', I prepared 4 different ethnic breads for the occasion. I did Pandesal Bread in honor of a little girl that I sponsor who lives in the Phillipines, and I received rave reviews. It has become my favorite but question serving it for breakfast as us Americans like sweet & cinnamony taste for our morning meal.

@Anonymous~ Pandesal is usually served during breakfast in the Philippines. So happy that you included Pandesal as one of your ethnic breads for "World Communion" in honor of that lucky girl you sponsor in the Philippines =)

To answer your question...if you want something sweet as a filling, if you have a Filipino shop nearby....try a jar of Coconut Jam. Just slice your Pandesal and spread some of the Coconut Jam, really good with a cup of coffee for Breakfast =) There's another type of Filipino Bread...it's called "Spanish Bread", very similar to Pandesal but flatten and spread with some sweet filling before rolling and dusting with breadcrumbs before baking. Personally haven't tried making Spanish Bread as I'm in the processes of baking different versions of Ensaymada at the moment but will try it in the future =)

Used your recipe, thanks! Fluffy & chewy!! Made it again today -- yikes, after kneading the dough, discovered I forgot to put in the egg!!! I will still proceed. Hope it's not too much of a disaster.. sigh... 1st time I made this, I did not add breadcrumbs as my family prefers pandesal without crumbs. It definitely kept well for days at room temp in a ziploc. Excellent toasted too! Fingers crossed to see how the recipe minus the egg turns out. Thanks again for sharing.

wow, been searching for pandesal recipe's online, and this one caught my eye, will make this tomorrow, and hope I will can make perfect, I really miss the pandesal they use to make in Gaisano city CDO philippines when I was in high School 21 yrs ago. they put cheese inside it, and taste really scrumptious

Of course, puwede =) Feel test ko usually is when I dip my finger in the milk/water, I can still bear the heat...so early stage when the milk/water is about to just move a little bit, not simmering or boiling.

You make it look easy to make. After reading other pandesal recipes before, I'm like - forget it - it's only for expert bakers. But your pictures and instructions give me hope that I can make this too some day.

1 cup is approximately around 125g.....maybe the 250 that you are seeing printed in your measuring cup is actually the mls (liquid) measurement. Don't compact the flour in your measuring cup, just scoop on your flour container and level with the back of a knife.

This recipe is amazing. It is EXACTLY what I was looking for - right amount of sweetness, thin crisp crust, with a soft fluffy interior that just melts in your mouth. PLUS, it is so easy to do. It is the first time I have tried to handle dough and baked my own bread, yet it came out perfect in the first shot.

This is it! The best pandesal recipe I've made out of dozens out there. I' ve used both rapidrise and active dry yeast and I've also used whole wheat flour. Whatever modification I do, it always comes out good. Thank you so much for sharing. My family and I love this bread!

Hi! Ms. Cusinera... yes. it's good. the shape was not really perfect and not as what my friend's Ensaymada was, but I love it... Wish I can share you the picture...Talking about Ensaymada, please share us your recipe and the procedure if you have.Love to learn ..

Hi tnx for the recipe. I follow ur recipe and it turns soft and delicious. This is the perfect pandesal I've tried! Before I follow the recipe in panlasang pinoy but my pandesal is hard like rock. Maybe my flour that time is all purpose flour!? This time I used flour #1 with wheat gluten. I cant find bread flour here in Abu dhabi so I tried the #1 flour much cheaper than branded all purpose flour. Thanks again my family loves it ;)

Thank you for sharing this recipe. I've been searching for a good pandesal recipe and I admit I was motivated by your pictures to give it a try. My first batch of pandesal was perfect and made 28 pieces. Since I got the recipe a few days ago, my husband and I baked thrice already and prepared in different sizes - but the 28 pcs. per recipe is very ideal. We are also using the Kitchen Aid mixer and bread flour, those two made a lot of difference in kneading, consistency and texture of the finished product. Take note, the pandesal stays soft even after 4 days. Our family won't buy pandesal anymore. Maraming salamat from kababayans in Canada.

Thanks for the feedback, talagang very happy ako when I hear in different parts of the world na enjoy ang mga family ninyo with this pandesal recipe =) Wow, soft pa rin even 4 days na! I usually kasi cool my pandesal and packaged it then freeze, so thanks for letting us know na 4 days soft pa rin.

I tried the rapid yeast and activate using warm water + sugar+ yeast sit for about 10mins until it bubbles. But it turned dry and hard the pandesal, I don't know if that is the cause. What happens if overkneading ? How if I replace the water to 1c of milk to make it more tasteful. I had 3x attempt for making pandesal but I don't want to give up :)

Hi, I found this blog over the weekend and yesterday I decided to try making pandesal again (tried in the past but didn't like the taste much)This recipe is pretty good and our house still smells like pandesal this morning.

my pandesals came a little bit dry because I misread tablespoon for butter and oil and used teaspoon instead.

also, I noticed an errata on your ingredients4 cups (500g) all purpose flour (I used bread flour)2 cups is (500g) so I ended up using the whole 1kg of flour to get 4 cups

Sorry for a very late reply....am still firm with 4 cups (500g) as 1 cup is approximately around 125g-127g....I tried physically to put 500g into 2 cups, no can't do...up till now am racking my brains out how you ended with 500g for just 2 cups =)

Hi Ms.Cusinera,The first time I made pandesal using your recipe came out almost perfect. The 2nd time was not the same even though the taste was still good but it was not as fluffy. Is it because, maybe I over proof the dough?

@lee ~ if its not fluffy maybe it was not kneaded and rested enough? I find when I overproof the dough (raw pandesal rolls)in last stage, it becomes Monay...very airy and all it needs is a brush of beaten eggwash on top before going to the oven to have that golden brown glaze once baked.

Thanks for sharing the recipe. I just made a couple of batches. They're perfect, and taste great! Now, am not going to buy pandesal. I think 392deg F is a bit too high, though you can make adjustment to the cooking time to probably about 12-13 mins. I will try 350F for 15 mins and see how it comes out. The first batch I baked at 375F for 15 mins, it came out a little bit dark.

If you read the comments, almost all of them used a mixer as it takes a long time to knead it by hand and the dough is very sticky. You can still do it but it will take a lot of kneading till your dough is stringy and sticky like bubble gum.

First of all, I would like to say Thank you for the recipe.. I've been searching for a pandesal recipe for a long time and finally your recipe is the best ...I used a mixer and it's worthy to wait .. Ohhhhhh yummmyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!

Thank you so much for this recipe! I've made it many times now and it comes out delicious every time! I knead it by hand for 15 mins since I do not own a kitchenaide and it turns out great! Put oven to 350 and 15 mins and it's perfect! Thank you!

I made this a couple of days ago and it was great! However I find that after 15 mins at 200F, the dough was still raw so I cranked it up to 450 and baked it for another 10 minsto get a golden brown crust and it was perfect! However a day later the bread was crumbly and not chewy as I like it. Still soft though. Is there a way to make it chewy? - trying hard baker

Sorry to hear that....it might be the 15 mins in the low temp. plus the additional 10 mins. made your bread crumbly...it might have stayed longer than it suppose to bake. When I use this recipe, it doesn't go crumbly at all....after the pandesal cooled down be sure to store it in a sealed container or freezer bag to lock in the freshness =)

Hello, do you have any recommendations on how to prepare the dough ahead of time so I can make pandesal on a weekday morning? I don't have enough time to wait for the dough to rise 2x during the week. Btw, I made pandesal using your recipe on a Sunday morning and they stayed soft until Wednesday!

Sorry Kris, I haven't done the dough ahead of time....this dough needs the right time to raise 2x if overdone, one time I've done this...it turned to monay. Good to hear that your pandesal did stay soft for a couple of days =)

Hello,I'm an American with European ancestry. Many of my friends are from Filipino ladies who are always hungry, (go figure). To please them, I decided to attempt baking pan de sal. First several batches came out overdone on the bottom and not sufficiently browned on top. Through trial and error I discovered that baking them in a glass (pyrex) pan solved the problem and allows the buns to brown evenly.

The best pandesal recipe ever! I've made them 3x last week. I'm letting my dough rest right now. I'm making them for my son's first communion retreat today. Part of their retreat is sharing bread from their family's country to the rest of the class.

Your recipe is perfect! I've tried so many online recipe but yours is the only one that actually delivered the real pandesal texture,smell and taste! Thank you so so much! My hubby and kids love pandesal but can't just find the right recipe - until yours! I make a batch atleast ever other day. That's just how crazy we are! No more store-bought bread for us! More power to you!

Hi congrats with your recipie,i already know how to mak3 pandesal rolling in balls form.im trying to make pandesal with that typical cut on the top..i have problems in doing it.i put the cut side up and they rise pero naflaflat sya at nagkakabutas butas..I've tried to put inside the oven closed with 50 degrees but still i cant make that perfect loaf like when you rolls into a balls form.what is the proper fermentation.? Some tips? Thanks

I still use the rolling into balls technique as the slice dough is difficult to master...I read somewhere it depends on the cutter you use. Too much air bubbles results from leaving the dough too long on the second rise...more then the recommended time.